Topic: Health

You want insurance with that? Fast food chain covers its employees and helps its bottom line

By: Paul Shinn
September 10, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Burgerville, a small fast-food chain in the Pacific Northwest, has always made a killer fresh blackberry shake. Recently, it also made a shrewd business move: providing health insurance for employees. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on the genesis… Read more [More...]

Uninsured Oklahomans remain a problem we should take seriously

By: Paul Shinn
September 2, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The News on 6 in Tulsa reported last week on Oklahomans who lack health insurance. OK Policy’s David Blatt was featured in the story, available here in both print and video, describing who is likely to be uninsured and explaining… Read more [More...]

Health care reform: Expanding Medicaid for lowest-income adults

By: David Blatt
July 22, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As the national health care reform debate continues to heat up, most of the controversy has centered on such hot-button issues as the public  option, individual and employer mandates, and paying for expanded coverage. One issue that is of considerable… Read more [More...]

Nose to the Grindstone

By: David Blatt
June 25, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
For those of you who missed it earlier, the Grindstone Journal has reprinted my article on expanding coverage to the uninsured in Oklahoma that ran originally as an op-ed contribution to The Oklahoman. The Grindstone Journal is a recently-created, Oklahoma-based… Read more [More...]

Summer Reading: Health care

By: David Blatt
June 23, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
While the arrival of summer has many of us slowing down to a more leisurely pace, in Washington, the debate on health care reform is quickly shifting into overdrive. Several Congressional committees have taken up consideration of health care legislation,… Read more [More...]

Child abuse and neglect numbers moving in the right direction

By: David Blatt
June 15, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
We’re out with our latest Numbers You Need bulletin for June, tracking economic and fiscal trends in Oklahoma and the nation. While the bulletin focuses on monthly and quarterly data on jobs, inflation, work support programs, and the like, each… Read more [More...]

What if we just left health care alone?

By: Paul Shinn
June 11, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Health care reform is in the news. We have the world’s most expensive health care system, but our health care outcomes are not that good and we still leave one-sixth of Americans under age 65 without insurance coverage. President Obama… Read more [More...]

Appointments we can believe in

By: David Blatt
June 1, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Anyone who has worked over the years to support access to health care for low-income children and families will be heartened to learn that the Obama administration has appointed Cindy Mann to lead the Centers for Medicaid and State Operations,… Read more [More...]

State Coverage Initiative: Will consensus be enough?

By: David Blatt
May 26, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Last week,  I attended a meeting of the State Coverage Initiative (SCI), an effort that has taken shape over the past two years under the leadership of Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland to develop a plan to extend health insurance coverage… Read more [More...]

Small steps

By: Paul Shinn
May 13, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Kudos to the Oklahoma Legislature and Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland for taking a small but worthwhile step in helping Oklahomans keep their health insurance. SB 553, authored by Sen. Ron Justice (R-Chickasha) in the Senate and sponsored by Rep. Leslie… Read more [More...]